Damned
by Roony
Summary: Michael realizes the consequences of letting Tbag out.


Damned

author: Roony

rating: PG-13, I guess.

disclaimer: I don't own 'Prison Break'

summary: Michael comes to realize just who he's let back on the outside.

There are men who're just damned from birth. Their existence is based on them being evil, twisted figures. Fate just has a sick sense of humor that way. Theodore Bagwell, as Michael Scofield was well aware, was one of these men. And he could go toe to toe with some of the better known ones of history. Michael Scofield didn't want to have anything to do with a man like T-bag, but fate had sadly turned its demented grin his way as well.

From day one, T-bag had just been extra baggage to lug out the door when they got out. He'd helped and hurt progression of the plan here and there, but no matter what he did, he was always seen by Michael as a liability.

But T-bag wasn't stupid by any means, and in fact a little smarter than Michael felt comfortable with. And maybe, if he hadn't been the leader and planner and had his brother's life to worry about or the addition of that prick Tweener, he would've seen the handcuffs coming. He would've caught T-bag with them, made him put them back, and moved on. But there were too many people and he'd just pulled that shank on Warden Pope. He'd estimated how long it would take for anyone to realize what had happened to the warden and was mentally counting down.

And then Westmoreland… Charles Westmoreland, one of the few men in this fucking piss hole Michael actually respected had more or less given his own life to help break go as planned. And then going across the rope, and the alarm being sounded. The heavy guy, Manche, falls, but Michael just barely makes it.

How could he possibly have seen the handcuffs coming?

But they did come, because T-bag had wised up. He knew he wasn't getting on that plane. (Ironically, none of them would, but none of them had foreseen that one.) But he knew who the golden boy in all this was. Knew there was only one way to ensure he'd make it.

Out of all the choices, T-bag was the one person out of the group Michael would never want to be handcuffed to, with Haywire and Abruzzi close seconds. At least Abruzzi, Michael felt, would've been able to keep up. No such luck with T-bag.

He knew T-bag was one of those damned men. He knew that T-bag being back in the free world wasn't good for anyone, that it was a threat to innocent lives. But there hadn't been much of a choice before. But, fortunately, the rest of the group didn't seem to like T-bag much better and knew that, if they were to make it out of this, they would need Michael.

So, when they were the last into the garage, Michael was only lightly surprised when the gang suddenly jumped T-bag and half-dragged the two of them to the hood of the pickup. Of course, it was Abruzzi who got the axe. Lincoln was the only other one out of all of them with the physical capacity for that, but he didn't have the dark soul or grudge that John did.

There's a sickeningly crunch, a scream, and the clank of shovel against metal all occurring at the same time. The chain of the cuffs isn't taught anymore, and that's when Michael knows that it's over. T-bag isn't his problem anymore and, with a little luck, will bleed to death before he gets a chance to hurt anyone.

They're running again, one man short.

But, bad news. T-bag, the miserable fuck, managed to survive the amputation. Michael figures this out as he watches the latest news report, piecing together what the police can't. A vetinerian found, dead. He was 'put down', injected with an overdose of ketamine. More than that, he was stripped to his boxers. It looks like the vet had just finished a medical procedure. A cooler of bloodstained ice was found. And the fingerprints, Michael already knows before the blond reporter says it, belong to the escaped convict, Theodore Bagwell.

Michael stares for a moment, not really looking at anything. T-bag's claimed his first victim. If this was what he did to a man who _helped _him, then…

It only truly dawns on Michael now what evil he's unleashed into this world. Before, he couldn't be bothered to think about that. He had to save his brother's life. He wrapped himself up in figuring out the plan and trying to keep everyone together so it could be pulled off. He'd barely paused to realize who exactly he was giving the keys of the world to. Sucre was fine, just five years for a mistake. C-note, he had his family to get to too. Charles… Well, there's little point in worrying about him anymore. Abruzzi'll go underground anyway, barely have time to do anything serious. But he hadn't assessed T-bag just right. The miserable inbred who barely added to the equation.

Some men are just born damned. But then, there are the even more tragic few who damn themselves. And if Michael didn't know before, he knows now. He's one of them. He's as damned now as Theodore Bagwell.


End file.
